Bellator MMA’s return to Honolulu is exactly one month away, with the mixed martial arts promotion set to hold back-to-back events with Bellator 294 and Bellator 295 on Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22 respectively at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center.
Bellator 295 will be headlined by the Finals of the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix, as current Interim Champion Raufeon Stots (19-1) faces off with No. 2-ranked Patchy Mix (17-1).
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For Stots, the event will be a welcomed return to the islands, a place that he is 2-0, where he successfully made his promotion debut in December 2019 with a win over Cheyden Leieloha at Bellator 236 and in April earned his first championship with a win over Juan Archuleta at Bellator 279.
“I feel like I’m an adopted son of Hawaii at this point,” Stots told KHON2 sports director Rob DeMello. “I fought there more than any other place, I made my debut there. I won my first major championship belt there and I get to defend my first championship belt there as well as win, you know, the Grand Prix, win $1,000,000.”
Beyond the success in the cage, Stots also believes that the island lifestyle fits right in with the “vibe” he carries himself with.
“Hawaii is huge to me. My kids have been there, we like it. I really enjoy the fight culture. I really enjoy the beautiful scenery. I feel the love and, you know, I feel the Aloha, as they say. I don’t think it’s like a forced thing. I feel like it’s just kind of like a vibe, I vibe with the people,” said Stots. “I feel like we’re kind of cut from the same cloth. Accepting of everybody but the Hawaiians always love to throw down, but there’s also no hard feelings. I really vibe with the culture, the culture of Hawaii, you know?”
TICKETS:
Friday night’s BELLATOR 294: Carmouche vs. Bennett 2 event is being held in honor of America’s Military, Veterans and First-Responders, all of whom are eligible to attend the event with a guest for free entry the day of with valid proof of ID. Free admission is based on a limited capacity and available on first come-first serve basis.
Tickets for BELLATOR 295: Stots vs. Mix are on sale, and available at Ticketmaster and Bellator.com
BELLATOR 294: CARMOUCHE VS. BENNETT 2 MAIN CARD:
Friday, April 21 – live on SHOWTIME
10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT/4 p.m. HST (local)
Flyweight World Title Bout: C-Liz Carmouche (18-7) vs. #4DeAnna Bennett (13-7-1)
Heavyweight Co-Main Event: #6-Tim Johnson (15-9) vs. Said Sowma (8-4)
Featherweight Bout: #2-Arlene Blencowe (15-9) vs. Sara McMann (13-6)
BELLATOR 295: STOTS VS. MIX MAIN CARD:
Saturday, April 22 – live on SHOWTIME
10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT/4 p.m. HST (local)
Bantamweight World Grand Prix Final: IC-Raufeon Stots (19-2) vs. #2-Patchy Mix (17-1)
Flyweight Bout: #3-Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (12-2) vs. #2-Kana Watanabe (11-1-1)
BELLATOR 295: STOTS VS. MIX PRELIMINARY CARD:
BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel | Pluto TV
7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT/1 p.m. HST (local)
Heavyweight Bout: Davion Franklin (5-1) vs. Kasim Aras (7-1)
Lightweight Bout: Yancy Medeiros (16-8, 1 NC) vs. Charlie Leary (17-13-1)
Lightweight Bout: Bobby King (12-5) vs. Aalon Cruz (10-4)
Featherweight Bout: Keoni Diggs (10-2) vs. Weber Almeida (7-1)
Featherweight Bout: Kai Kamaka III (10-5-1) vs. Adli Edwards (9-2)
Flyweight Bout: #9- Sumiko Inaba (5-0) vs. #7- Veta Arteaga (7-4)